Ah Qing was still dressed in the same clothes she had worn during her capture. Her rough linen shirt was torn and covered in mud and blood.
Her head was lowered as she followed behind Gu Changge into the pavilion, behaving as if she hadn't seen anything around her. She had settled down during the last few days and did not need to flee anymore, yet she did not clean the dirt and bloodstains from her face. It was a good method of concealment so she didn't have to worry about others seeing her true appearance, which might cause unnecessary trouble. Besides, Gu Changge did not show any disgust or care regarding her appearance.
"I encountered this poor thing during the hunt and felt sympathy, so I rescued her." Gu Changge smiled lightly.
"I see."
Everyone understood at once and did not doubt the claim. Instead, they grew envious of Ah Qing. She had benefited from her misfortune and was no longer a hostage. If she was right by his side, even the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty, who had been her greatest enemy, wouldn't dare to say a word. Of course, no one knew Ah Qing's identity, including Yu Lie and the others. All they knew was that she was a prisoner, who had been taken here like the others after losing a war at the Dynasty's border.
Ah Qing stood silently behind Gu Changge while she watched him chat leisurely with the other young prodigies. Everyone behaved respectfully and ingratiatingly with him, and even the future Successor of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty, who had arranged the hunting game, was extremely polite towards him. This made her feel like she was in a dream, unable to separate fiction from reality.
She couldn't calm down; who was this man who had saved her and where did he come from? He had never taken the initiative to inquire about her background or anything else, merely showing occasional signs of interest. Due to her cautiousness towards everything, she maintained her silence and said nothing about her world.
Gu Changge seemed lackadaisical about this, which only baffled her more since she didn't know how to repay his kindness. She didn't like owing others, but he had already saved her twice and it seemed too appropriate to work for him.
"Several young prodigies from the Red Chain Sect is missing." A young prodigy was shocked when he suddenly noticed several people absent from those who had returned. How could someone encounter an accident during a hunting game, much less a group of people?
Ah Qing's hand clenched slightly beneath her sleeve as she became nervous. The group of people who had hunted her seemed to be from the Red Chain Sect. If they discovered that their disappearance involved Gu Changge, then she would take the blame without any hesitation.
"There's so much danger lurking inside the hunting grounds. It wouldn't be unusual if they encountered a threat and got into an accident." Yu Lie wasn't surprised and waved his hand with a smile, asking them not to worry.
He had already gotten the news since there was an expert standing guard near the area to closely monitor everything within. The expert had already sensed Gu Changge killing the group but did not dare announce it, instead pretending not to see it.
"Yeah, there's plenty of hazards in there. Even for us. We had encountered threats and nearly died from them. Zhao Hang and the others may have gotten unlucky."
Everyone present soon agreed with that assessment, since they weren't stupid and knew that the Second Prince was implying something. He was asking them to not concern themselves with this and treat it like an accident. If even the Second Prince himself had to cover this up, it was obvious that the circumstances of their disappearance did not warrant any further thought.
Ah Qing was stunned as she watched this unfold, almost unable to recover from it.
[Did this potentially troublesome issue get resolved, just like that?] She wasn't dumb and could tell that the Second Prince wanted everyone to ignore this.
"Someone remove her shackles." While she was feeling conflicted, Yu Lie suddenly glanced at her and smiled as he made the order.
This was a forbidden artifact which was a speciality of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty. It was carved with unique arrays. If it was opened by force, it would explode and take its captive with it. Thus, no one would usually touch it or attempt to remove it.
With a loud clang, the heavy shackles crashed to the floor. Ah Qing could feel her power flowed within her once again. However, it felt numb to her, as if this was all a dream. Not only had the Successor of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty drastically changed his attitude towards her, the others were also looking at her with great envy.
[Why are they envious of a prisoner like me?]
She might not have been here for a long time but she understood how important the future Successor of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty was. He could send formidable armies like before to recklessly conquer her world with just one order. Yet, he was now talking politely to her, which was a far call from his formerly cruel behaviour.
She raised her eyes to instinctively glance at Gu Changge, yet he remained seated before her with his usual warm smile while serenely sipping his tea. His eyes were slightly lowered and he behaved like it was reasonable to act this way.
She finally noticed that everything in this world basically revolved around him. She now slightly understands why Gu Changge had killed the group of young prodigies unblinkingly. Meanwhile, even those in positions of power within the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty could only feign ignorance.
After leaving the pavilion, she felt dazed and her long-awaited peace seemed surreal.
Gu Changge's temporary residence was located in the northeast corner of the palace, which was extremely scenic and filled with vibrant energy. Mist hovered in the air and strange flowers bloomed everywhere, with rock formations and pavilions abound. It was calm yet majestic and was situated away from any chaos.
After being brought here, Ah Qing did not see Gu Changge anymore. A young servant girl brought her away to change her clothes and clean away all the dirt and blood stains. She did not resist and lay within the pool carved from stone, where steam emanated from the surface of the water and bright petals floated down. Her hair was loose and resembled floating seaweed.
After the invasion of the Otherworldly Sky Demons and her father's disappearance, she had never been this relaxed. She became so laid-back that her mind was empty and she refused to think about anything.
She had become a prisoner who had been locked away in the darkness after coming to this world, only spending her days thinking about how she could survive, find her father, and go home. Clean water, food, spiritual fruits, as well as pretty clothes had seemed so unattainable, yet they were right in front of her.
"It feels like a dream," she muttered, eyes still open. [If this is a dream, would everything burst like a bubble when I opened my eyes?]
"These are all the best Sacred Herbs for treating wounds. It will work extremely well on that scar on your arm." The servant girl came in while holding a medical kit and placed it beside the pool.
"Thank you." Ah Qing accepted the herbal ointment from the servant and thanked her politely before eyeing the spot on her arm where she planned to apply it. It had already healed but it still had a faint scar, which would take some time to go away.
"Y-you're welcome. This is our duty and besides, it was underYoung Master Changge's orders." The servant girl seemed taken aback by it and shook her head fearfully. As far as the servant was concerned, Ah Qing had been brought back by Gu Changge and as such, was on a completely different level. It didn't matter where Ah Qing came from, as a servant, she had to respect the difference in their rank.
Ah Qing was silent for a while before muttering, "Young Master Changge? Changge? Is that his name?"
"Y-you don't know Young Master Changge's name?" The servant girl's eyes widened in disbelief like she had seen something unbelievable. An indescribable feeling rose within her, which was a mix of bitterness and jealousy. [How does this woman not even know who Young Master Changge is? Why is she worthy of being brought home by him?]
Ah Qing nodded without saying anything about herself.
"Can you tell me more about him? I know he's a good person and I owe him immensely," Ah Qing requested.
The servant came back to herself with some difficulty, her gaze filled with a mixture of emotions. However, there was something special about her since she was chosen to be a servant here and she recovered soon enough, sounding reverent as she spoke. "If you want to know about Young Master Changge, you will never be able to take in everything. Just remember one thing."
"What is it?" Ah Qing asked curiously.
"Young Master Changge reigns supreme in the Upper Realm. This is in respect to his abilities and his importance. In the Upper Realm, the leaders of any Immortal or Formidable Force will never dare inconvenience you if you say you're his woman. You can't exactly act rampant but no one will ever be brave enough to offend you." The servant girl's eyes glittered dreamily.
"Reigns supreme in the Upper Realm?" Ah Qing was greatly astounded and fell silent again as she digested the overwhelming information. She had grossly underestimated Gu Changge's status and background, since she had assumed he had a similar standing as the Successor of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty. It now appeared that even the ruler of a Dynasty had to negotiate with Gu Changge at a similar level.
[Why had someone like him saved me? I see. Now it makes sense. No wonder everyone is envious of me…]
"I don't think I can ever repay him in this lifetime." Ah Qing smiled bitterly.
…
"Young Master, the news is completely true. A stable Space Rift has appeared at the border of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty. It has been open for nearly a year. The Dynasty has sent plenty of military forces to take control of the area while telling the outside world that they were defending against an opposing army. When in fact, they were hiding the entrance to that ancient world."
Deep within the palace, Gu Changge read through a jade scroll idly as a close advisor reported the information to him respectfully.
"The Great Yu Celestial Dynasty has tried their best to keep this concealed, so they probably have infiltrated that world already. There is probably something important for them to keep it a secret to this extent. The waters aren't muddled enough; spread the news and garner the attention of the other Forces." Gu Changge nodded and pondered this quietly before giving his reply. He would never let the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty claim that world for their own since he needed a suitable place to set up his bait. That world seemed to be a great location from every point of view.
"Yes, Young Master!" The advisor nodded his head before recalling something. "Oh, Young Master. The youngest daughter of the Tuo Ba Family has been insisting on seeing you all this time while claiming that she knows you're the mastermind. Do we need to get rid of her?"
Gu Changge put down his jade scroll and replied nonchalantly, "Let her continue. We can't kill her just yet since we still need her alive for a little while."
"Understood, sir." The spot where the advisor stood blurred as he transformed into smoke and left.
Gu Changge had a thoughtful gaze. He had given Tuo Ba Xiao Yao half a month but half of that time had already passed. If Tuo Ba Xiao Yao couldn't hand over the Sword of World Domination after seven days, he had to resort to other means.
However, Gu Changge was still curious about how Tuo Ba Xiao Yao had known about this secret technique. He had been studying ancient scrolls and sent people to investigate but still didn't get any clues.
[Is what he said true? The Upper Realm has no way of dealing with it? Maybe it Is a secret technique from another world?] Gu Changge thought of another possibility. [Had Tuo Ba Xiao Yao gone to another world before his regression, acquiring the secret technique there?]
[No matter.] Gu Changge didn't concern himself with the issue anymore and sent the order to bring Ah Qing to him. He had a lot of things to ask her about.
"My saviour." Soon, Ah Qing was brought before him by a servant girl, now newly groomed and outfitted.
Compared to the unkempt appearance and rough linen clothing she sported, she now resembled a beautiful flower in her pale dress. She had dark green eyes, smooth pale skin, and a pretty face with fine features. Her hair was down and her slightly raised eyebrows gave her a stern aura. Anyone who saw such a fierce yet pretty girl would be impressed.
She might know of his identity now but she didn't possess any anxiety or wariness any normal person would show towards him. Instead, she looked very calm and assured.
"Have a seat!" Gu Changge smiled and signalled for her to take a seat.
Ah Qing did not display any pretentiousness and sat opposite him. She looked at the fine dishes and spiritual fruits served on the table as well as glowing meats. She pushed down her hunger and quickly recovered since she hadn't seen such a luxurious spread in a long time.
Still, each meat served exuded a striking amount of Life Force.
"There's only the two of us in the palace, so you can let down your guard." He smiled.
"I've gotten used to it and never mean to doubt your kindness." Ah Qing nodded and explained since she was worried about him misinterpreting anything.
'Being on guard is a good thing. You won't survive long in this world if you aren't careful enough." He smiled and raised his glass to take a drink before motioning for her to begin eating.
"Thank you, sir. I shall help myself." Ah Qing acted respectfully, not worrying too much. She started to help herself to the food. Her abilities hadn't been fully restored yet, and all these spiritual fruits and meats were exactly what she needed.
He had first provided the ointment and now he was giving her these dishes to restore her strength. His attention to detail surprised her. With his status, he didn't have to consider all these at all, yet he had been very attentive.
[Did such a perfect person actually exist?]
"You should know why I ordered someone to take you here, right?" Gu Changge asked.
"You have talked about wanting to know about the world I lived in." Ah Qing nodded and used the opportunity to provide him with information about her world. What she said wasn't a secret she couldn't share. Furthermore, she didn't like owing anyone anything, especially her life. Of course, she didn't think that telling him all this information could make up for all that he had done for her, but it would contribute slightly towards repaying him.